Merry-go-round apparatus



Jan. 29, 1963 c. w. AHRENS 3,075,762

MERRY-GO-ROUND APPARATUS Filed Jan. 13, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

INVENTOR 7 ByC/ Au0 W. AHRENS AMA ML Jan. 29, 1963 c. w. AHRENS MERRY-GO-ROUND APPARATUS Filed Jan. 13, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 m- M MH A W E D u m. c

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Arramvg Y5 United States Patent Ofifice 3,975,762 MERRY-GO-RQUND APPARATUS Claude W. Ahrens, Box 275, Grinnell, Eowa Filed Jan. 13, 1951, Ser. No. 82,466 7 Claims. (Cl. 272-39) This invention relates to playground apparatus for children and particularly to the merry-go-round type apparatus.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel merry-go-round for childrens playgrounds and like places.

Another object of this invention is to provide a merrygo-round type of apparatus for childrens playgrounds wherein the apparatus is dome-shaped with a smooth exterior surface for safety purposes.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a dome-shaped merry-go-round apparatus having individual depressions about the circumference thereof within each of which a child can support himself.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a merry-go-round for childrens playgrounds which includes a smooth-surfaced shell comprised of a plurality of arcuate sections readily assembled in a side-by-side relationship to form a dome-shaped rotatable apparatus with circumferentially spaced individual riding stations formed in the shell within each of which a child can safely stand.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a merry-go-round type playground apparatus of a dome shape wherein all internal parts and all relatively movable parts are completely covered for maximum safety.

These objects and other features and advantages of this invention will become readily apparent from the following description when taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the merry-go-round apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a segment of the shell of the apparatus, with certain parts broken away for clarity;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the frame of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG, 2, with certain parts broken away for clarity of illustration; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the frame of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, the merry-go-round apparatus of this invention is indicated generally at 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2 and comprises a dome-shaped, smoothsurfaced shell 11 having a circular, substantially upstanding outer wall 12 in which a plurality of circumferentially spaced depressions 13 are formed, and with the shell 11 rotatably mounted on a ground engaging frame unit 14. A child can stand on the floor 16 of each depression 13 and support himself upon rotation of the shell 11 by a hand grip bar 17, secured to the curved upstanding wall portion 18 of each depression 13.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 46 inclusive, the frame unit 14 includes an upstanding standard 19 having a pair of bearings 21 and 22, with rotatable plates 23 and 24 respectively, at the top and adjacent the base of the standard 19. A plurality of curved angle irons 26 and 27 are placed in pairs with their vertical flanges 26 and 27 (FIG. 6), respectively, back-to-back and with their horizontal flanges 26" and 27", respectively, extended away from each other.

Each pair of angle irons 26 and 2.7 is secured at the upper ends by bolts 28 to the upper bearing plate 23, and is secured at the lower ends by bolts 29 to the outer peripheral portion 31 of a base plate 32. The base plate 3,975,762 Patented Jan. 29, 1963 32 is mounted in a horizontally disposed position and is secured at its inner diameter to the lower bearing plate 24, as by bolts 33 (FIG. 4). The pairs of angle irons 26 and 27 are arcuately spaced apart a like distance (FIG. 6) and are curved downwardly and outwardly from the top 34 (FIG. 4) of the standard 1% in a concave formation relative to the standard. By this arrangement, the pairs of angle irons 26 and 27 are rotatable as a unit in locked formation about the standard 19.

The shell 11 is comprised of a plurality of segments 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, 36f, 36g, and 36h (FIG. 1), with each of the segments having a pair of depressions 13 formed therein as best illustrated by the showing of segment 36b in FIG. 3. Each segment is of a fiber glass or like material, has an external wall portion 37 semicircularly curved in transverse section, and has side walls 38 and 39 extended at right angles to the wall portion 37. The wall portion 37 is pointed at its upper end 41 and increases in arcuate transverse width with the side walls diverging as it curves downwardly longitudinally in a formation complementary to the curvature of the angle irons 2d and 27. The lower end 42 (FIG. 3) of the wall portion 37 curves inwardly or at substantially a right angle to the general plane of the remainder of the wall portion 37.

In assembly, after the frame unit 14 has been assembled as described hereinbefore, the shell segments Sea-36h inclusive are each slid in between two arcuately adjacent pairs of angle irons 26 and 27 (FIG. 5). By predetermined dimensioning, the face 43 of each segment is flush with the exposed faces 44 of the angle iron flanges 26 and 27 when the segment side walls 38 and 39 are in engagement with flanges 27' and 216' of an adjacent pair of angle irons, best illustrated in FIG. 5. By this arrangement, the outer surface of the shell 11 is substantially smooth. Bolts 46 and 47 are then inserted through horizontally aligned openings formed in each group of flanges 26' and 27' and side walls 33 and 39 to secure the segments to the angle iron pairs of the frame unit 14.

Thus, by the insertion of a shell segment into each space between adjacent pairs of angle irons, a domeshaped shell 11 is formed having an upstanding outer wall 12 with a plurality of child-supporting depressions 13 formed therein, and which shell 11 is rotatably mounted on the standard 19. By means of the pointed upper ends 41 being fitted together, the top of the shell 11 is closed, and due to the overlapping nature of the base plate 32 (FIG. 5) with the lower ends 42 of the segments, the bottom of the shell 11 is also substantially closed. It is therefore readily appreciated that by enclosing all relatively movable parts, and by providing a substantially smooth-surfaced exterior for the apparatus it maximum safety for the children is obtained.

Although only a preferred embodiment is described herein, the invention is not to be so limited as various modifications and alternate constructions can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A merry-go-round apparatus comprising, child supporting means of a dome shape having the peripheral wall thereof formed with a plurality Of circumferentially spaced depressions on the exterior thereof within each of which a child can stand, hand grip means in each depression, and ground engaging means on which said child supporting means is rotatably mounted.

2. A merry-go-round apparatus comprising, a domeshaped shell, means for supporting a plurality of children on the exterior of said shell including a plurality of circumferentially spaced depressions formed therein, and

. 3 ground engaging means rotatably supporting said shell for rotation about a vertical axis.

3. A merry-go-round apparatus comprising, a ground engaging, upstanding standard, frame means rotatably mounted on said standard, shell means mounted on said frame means and including a circular upstanding Wall, and means for supporting a plurality of children on the exterior of said wall including a plurality of depressions formed in said wall.-

4. A rherry-go-round apparatus comprising, a ground engaging, upstanding standard, frame means supporting for rotation about said standard including a plurality of horizontally spaced, frame members secured at their upper ends to bearing means at the top of the standard, and secured at their lower ends'to other bearing means adjacent the bottom of the standard, said frame members each disposed in a vertical plane and curved in a concave manner relative to said standard, a circular shell closed at'the top and mounted onsaid frame means, said shell having a plurality of circumferentially spaced depressions formed on the exterior thereof within each of which a child can stand, and hand grip means formed in each depression.

5. A merry-go-round apparatus comprising, a ground engaging upstanding standard, frame means rotatably mounted ons'aid standard, and circular child supporting means mounted on said frame means including a plufality of segments semi-circularly curved in vertical transverse section secured together in a side-by-side manner, each segment having the convex side thereof faced outwardly and formed with one or more depressions on the exterior thereof within which a child can support himself.

6'. A merry-go-round'apparatu's comprising, a ground engaging, upstanding standard, frame means ro'tatably mounted'on said standard, and child supporting shell means mounted on said frame means, said shellmeans including a plurality of segments semi-circularly curved in transverse section secured together in a side-by-side manner, each of said segments pointed at the upper end thereof and secured thereat to the top of said frame means, and curving downwardly and outwardly in a gradually increasing transverse width relative to said standard, the lower end of each segment curving inwardly and secured to said frame means, each segment having one or more depressions formed in the curved exterior thereof each depression of which has a floor, a substantially vertical wall portion, and a hand grip whereby a child can support himself therein during rotation of the shell means.

7. A merry-go-round apparatus comprising, a ground engaging, upstanding standard having bearing units mounted thereon at the top and adjacent the bottom of the standard, frame means rotatable about said standard including a plurality of horizontally equi-distantlyspaced frame members secured at their upper and lower ends to the upper and lower bearing units respectively, said frame members each disposed in a vertical plane and curved in a concave manner relative to said standard, and child supporting shell means mounted on saidframe means and including a plurality of segments each of which is secured between a pair of adjacent frame members, each segment pointed at its upper end and secured thereat to said frame means and having a wall portion curved complementary to said frame members with the sides of said Wall portion engaging and secured to adjacent frame members whereby a shell-like enclosureis formed about said frame means and-the center of which is said standard, each segment having one or morechildr supporting depressions on the exterior thereof formed in the wall portion thereofwhereby to provide apinrality of circumferentially spaced depressions about said shell means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A MERRY-GO-ROUND APPARATUS COMPRISING, CHILD SUPPORTING MEANS OF A DOME SHAPE HAVING THE PERIPHERAL WALL THEREOF FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED DEPRESSIONS ON THE EXTERIOR THEREOF WITHIN EACH OF WHICH A CHILD CAN STAND, HAND GRIP MEANS IN EACH DEPRESSION, AND GROUND ENGAGING MEANS ON WHICH SAID CHILD SUPPORTING MEANS IS ROTATABLY MOUNTED. 